1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains in general to an apparatus and method for keyboardless entering of data into a computing device, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method utilizing handwriting recognition, character selection, and word/phrase/mnemonic selection for keyboardless entering of data into a computing device using a pen-based input device.
2. Description of Related Art
Increased use of computing devices especially in portable applications has resulted in an effort to find alternative methods to keyboards for entering text into computing devices. One approach utilizes a pen-based input device wherein a user prints characters on a pressure sensitive display using a pen. Pen strokes printed by the user appear on the display screen and a handwriting recognition function recognizes the character entered. Handwriting recognition functionality is well known in the industry and various manufacturers supply a variety of handwriting recognition applications. The various handwriting recognition applications have had varying degrees of success, however, they share a common drawback. Users must enter each character individually, character by character, resulting in a slow time-consuming process of text entry.
Another approach to keyboardless text entry which accelerates the text entry process provides a character selection field displaying a list of characters available for the user to input. The user simply touches the desired character in the entry field and the input device enters the selected character into an entry field on the display screen. A variation to this approach provides a character selection field displaying a list of characters anticipated by the input device to be the next character entered by the user rather than an exhaustive list of all available characters. The subset of characters likely to be entered is displayed to the user after the user has entered one or more characters and is based upon a database of words contained in memory. The database of words contained in memory can be either an exhaustive list of all words available such as a dictionary, a subset of words or mnemonics associated with a particular application running on the computing device such as an order entry device, or the database can be incrementally created by "learning" or recording words previously entered into the computing device.
Another approach to text entry for both devices using keyboards and devices without keyboards provides a word/phrase/mnemonic selection field similar to the character selection field. This field displays a list of words, phrases, or mnemonics anticipated by the input device to be the word, phrase, or mnemonic the user ultimately desires to enter. The term "expression" is understood in the industry to be an alphanumeric text string that can represent words, phrases, mnemonics, or other alphamnemonic text strings. The expression displayed for possible selection by the user is based on comparisons by the input device between characters enter thus far to expressions contained in a stored database. This stored database can be incrementally created by "learning" or recording previously entered expressions, but is generally a collection of expressions associated with a particular application running on the computing device.
Each of the approaches described thus far provides distinct benefits to keyboardless text entry yet no patent or reference has been discovered which coordinates the functioning of each of these approaches and incorporates them into a single universal method for presenting and gathering text entries. Such an incorporated device accelerates the text entry process and there is a need, therefore, for a method of presenting and gathering text entries utilizing handwriting recognition, character selection, and expression selection for entering text into a computing device.